Manufacturers of paper shopping bags say New York could face a paper bag shortage of up to five years when it bans single-use plastic bags in March.
Bag maker Novolex told The New York Post that outages in the Midwest have already put a squeeze on the paper bag supply.
Novolex estimates New York will require about 4 billion paper bags once the plastic bag ban begins. That's half of all current production capacity in North America.
The ban includes an option allowing cities and counties to charge a 5 cent fee for paper bags. Suffolk County will employ that option for residents who don’t bring their own reusable bag.